


Doggo 5

by InkFire_Scribe



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Gen, Janine Needs Sleep, Let Her Sleep Please, New dog, Rest, Rest is Needed, new home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27215653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkFire_Scribe/pseuds/InkFire_Scribe
Summary: In the process of bringing back a Radio Operator defecting from New Canton, Janine accidentally acquires a new dog.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Doggo 5

The orders had come from the Major. She couldn't make the rendezvous that Runner 24 had arranged, so someone else would have to - preferably Janine herself. And since she could refuse the Major _anything_ , here she was, listening to Sam blather about... something. Probably food. At least, the words "ice cream" had come up several times. Honestly unless the words "danger" or "zom" came up, she ignored him until she asked for directions. There were too many other things to think about. 

Like whether or not this could be a trap of some kind. There were a small group of runners following at a safe distance, of course, but if things turned nasty...

"Um... um Janine? Janine? Um, Janine?" 

" _What,_ Mr. Yao?" 

"There's a pack coming up from the southeast, between those two hills. It looks like they're chasing something." 

Janine turned her head to look between the hills, and saw a pack of about twenty zoms swarming after two figures - a runner in New Canton blue, and a dog. The animal was barking madly, trying to pull the runner faster, but this just made the runner stumble and ultimately slowed them down. 

"Please tell me that's not the New Canton Radio Operator we're supposed to be meeting with." It seemed unlikely to be anyone else, and even if it was, her conscience wouldn't let her just ignore a runner in need. Janine groaned, turning toward the pack and drawing her axe, picking up the pace. If she could come at them from uphill, they would be slowed down by the slope...

"I think that's her. That's Grace. What if this is a trap? What if she drew those zoms here on purpose?" 

Janine gritted her teeth. "Then she's not as smart as we give her credit for. Those two are only ten feet behind her." 

The next little bit was... a wild ride. There were so many things that could have gone horribly wrong and very nearly did. Undead hands grabbing at her shirt. A kid zom with one of those little pinwheel things blowing in the breeze. And the one in the three-piece suit that nearly got its teeth into her until the dog came out of nowhere and tackled it off her. It was a near thing, but it seemed like everything was alright. Even the dog was mostly okay, though as they moved away from the scattered remnants of the pack, it looked like he was limping. The dog was a shaggy German Shepherd, wearing a blue vest that said "NC 5" on the flanks. 

"Are you Grace O'Malley?" Janine asked, trying not to gasp too much as she recovered her breath. That would be undignified. 

"Aye," wheezed her companion, flushed with effort and running with short, shuffling steps. "I thought I could make it, but then 13 popped up out of nowhere bringing the pack with him and then he tripped and I had to take Sable so he wouldn't get _eaten_ and then my knee went out and I was so slow..." Grace was nearly in tears, huffing as she struggled along through the tall grass. "I've already gotten into so much trouble, it's no wonder they didn't want me to be a Runner." 

Janine shook her head. There were too many things to cover before they got back to Abel. "I don't think your knees are as much an issue as that transmission you sent us. Runner 24 said you had an offer to make me?"

The girl nodded, wiping sweat from her flushed face. "I can't go back to New Canton anymore. I left without permission and they warned me that if I met with any outsiders, then wouldn't take me back." Worried green eyes locked on Janine's face. "I want to help Abel, if I can. There's something going on, and I don't know what it is, but I can identify his voice if I hear it again. I think it might be someone close to Abel that's targeting us, and if this means I can protect my friends, then I think that's worth it." 

A minute passed in relative silence as the two of them wove through a small copse toward Abel. "You want to come to Abel, and you want us to trust you with the safety of our runners to you without any sort of assurance that you're not a traitor, sending information to this mystery man?" 

Grace huffed, looking distressed. "I'm not. I couldn't. I want him caught, not... whatever he's doing now. I can't afford to lose more friends. If I do, I'm not sure..." She trailed off, looking as though she had no idea how to end that sentence. There was nothing in the world she could say to convince Janine - or that's how it felt, anyway. She shook her head a little and tried again. "I can't prove anything for you. You know I can't. But I can't stay at New Canton. It's not safe there anymore, not for me and not for my friends. I can't lose any more friends. I can't." 

An emotional argument. Of course. Janine sighed deeply. "Fine, but you'll have to stay in quarantine for two days while we discuss what to do with you." 

"That's fair," whuffed Grace, and gave Janine a grateful smile. "I appreciate you being willing to give me a chance." 

Janine grumbled, not wanting to give this new person any sign that she had touched her heart. It was hard, though. She liked being appreciated, especially when she was taking a risk. 

It took another ten minutes to meet up with her backup Runners, who started a rotating guard duty, swapping out who was running in front, and who was running rear guard. By the time they finally got back to the Township, she was exhausted, too tired to reprimand the Runners for not taking the mission seriously enough. Grace was put in Quarantine, the Runners went in for bite checks, Janine checked in with the Major...

"What's with the dog?" The Major nodded to the dog on his lead at her side, panting quietly as he waited to be set loose. As long as he was in his vest, he knew he was still working. 

"Oh. I, uh... I didn't notice I still had him." Janine stared down at the dog, half puzzled, half uncertain. "Um... I guess... he came in with Grace." 

"Looks like he's comfortable with you. Well, it's about time you got yourself a dog. You've needed one for months." 

"I... what?" 

"You're dead on your feet, Janine, go take a nap and report later, alright? It's not going to hurt anything if you delay your debriefing for another couple hours." 

Janine hesitated, then sighed. There was no arguing with the woman. "You're... okay. Thank you, Major." 

A dog. She had somehow or other acquired a dog. Okay. This was... a thing. Too tired to properly process anything, she shook her head and led Sable to the farmhouse - or tried to. The dog seemed more interested in pulling her, slowly but inexorably, into the Runners' dorms. 

There, in one of the rooms, someone had set up something that looked like... a tent? No... a blanket fort. A pile of sleepy Runners occupied the middle of the floor, where plenty of pillows and blankets were tangled in the mess of limbs. One of the Runners (25, maybe?) hooked an arm around Sable and pulled him down into the pile, which the dog seemed to enjoy thoroughly, liking the Runner's hands and arms before settling. 

Janine stood awkwardly in the door, trying to cudgel her brain into processing what the heck was going on here. Was she supposed to... leave the dog and go to bed, or????

Someone decided for her when they gave the leash a pull, and Janine joined the Pile without ever intending to do any such thing. There was 26, and 20, 25, 8, 16, 31, and even 9. It was 16, that goblin child, that reached out of the pile and folded Janine into their arms, snuggling comfortably against her back like a warm backpack. 

For a minute, Janine considered struggling free and going to BED like she had planned to, but... but that sounded like a lot of effort. Janine just gave in after a second and let it happen. There was no reason to fight at this point. She was too tired. And now Sable was laying across her legs, grunting happily. Whatever. And it wasn't like she was enjoying it or anything. Or at least... she'd never admit how safe and warm it felt. 


End file.
